~ The bewildering world of creative writing

Monthly Archives: May 2015

Today, I’m reflecting on the definition of the word, aspire. When I was sixteen years old, I aspired to owning a car. I needed a car so I could get a better job. I needed a better job so I could buy food to eat and clothes to wear. So, I put together a plan, and worked to earn $25.00 a week to buy a 1946 Ford coupe for $100.00. The car didn’t run, so I had to work another week to earn another $18.00 for a starter motor. I still remember how excited I was the first day I drove my very own car to school.

At age seventeen, I aspired to join the fight against the world-wide spread of Communism. So, pursuant to that aspiration, in August of 1965, I joined the United States Marine Corps. By March of 1968, I had learned to be much more cautious about the things I aspired to. Being shot down in a helicopter can be a bone-jarring experience. Being shot out of the air eight times is not only bone-jarring, it’s downright sobering! My time as a combat helicopter aircrew member did, however, earn me a title of respect. I became know by the nick-name of Shaky Jake.

For several years after returning home from the Republic of South Vietnam, I aspired to develop a closer relationship with God. I had compelling questions such as, “Who’s in charge up there? Who decides who gets killed in action and who gets to return home and live with survivors guilt? “How is it that I can get shot down eight times and live, while some other poor slob gets killed on his very first mission?” Those were questions only God could answer, and – guess what – He did.

In 1972 I aspired to earn my FAA certifications as a commercial helicopter pilot and flight instructor. I accomplished the goal and worked for years as a charter helicopter pilot and flight instructor.

In the year 2012, at the age of sixty-six, I aspired to retire and begin the final career path of my lifetime. I aspired to be a published writer. I self-published my first book in October of 2013: “Boyhood Adventures.” By October of this year, I will have published the revised edition of that same book; this time, to be published by a traditional publisher. Following achievement of that goal, I will complete “Wings of Valor,” a project I’ve been working on for decades. After publication of Wings, I’ll begin working on a fictional story I’m calling, “The Troubleshooter.” I’m very excited to get to work on this project. Inspiration has played a huge part in development of plot and character elements. I have high hopes for its success.

Today, as I reflect on the definition of the word, aspire, I’m compelled to recognize the effect of its counterparts on outcome. Things like planning, action, and diligence are key elements in achieving any objective, except – maybe – standing under an apple tree waiting for fruit to fall. But I don’t believe much of anything of real value, comes so easily. Anyway, diligence comes into play in that few worthy goals are achieved without negotiating hurdles. Typically, I believe, the greater the value of the objective, the more a person must plan, work, and be perseverant. Anyway, that’s been this humble writer’s experience.

Creative writing is fun. One of the things that makes it so much fun for me is that it’s challenging. The learning curve is substantial. The climb to reach my personal pennacle of achievement is invigorating. There seems to be no end to all I must learn to be the best I can at writing. And I love a worthwhile challenge.

In August of 1988, I began working as the technical training instructor for Hyster Company. My job was to provide training for mechanics servicing powered industrial forklift trucks at Hyster dealerships throughout Southern California. I conducted classroom and shop training on subjects such as hydraulics, electrical systems, fuel systems, cranking & charging systems, etc. I enjoyed the work very much for the first few years, but by 1990, the work was getting stale. After having taught countless classes on Delco-Remy electrical systems, I increasingly felt like I was stuck in a humdrum pit. Fortunately, in 1990, Hyster began to get in step with technology, requiring technical training to do the same. I loved it! The job surged with new and wonderful challenges. To me, challenge is the spice of life. I love it when today is more challenging than yesterday.

I love it that there is so much to learn about my final career as a creative writer. And, the best part is that my work is a “learn by doing” experience. To say the least, I am having a blast!

No … I’m not quoting it wrong. I know it’s supposed to be fifteen men. I’m just superimposing my lifeless body among the other carcasses on board the ship’s deck. The image came to me this morning as I slithered into my daily regimen of formatting, proofreading, and editing a book I seem to have been working on for a decade.

Now, Mac lovers, please don’t be offended, but I’m finding my Macbook Pro somewhat different from the Microsoft PC I’ve known since the advent of the IBM 286 of time long past. YES. I’m aware of it! I just dated myself by many decades. But let it here be known by all and sundry that an old dog CAN learn new tricks. It’s just painful, that’s all.

So, trying to get this dog-gone book to the publisher, all the while moving ahead at a snails pace with my brand-new Mac PC, makes me feel like I’m lying among the corpses of other aspiring writers whose best efforts ended up on the deck of an over-run pirate ship.

Certainly, writing is about words: artfully arranged; interestingly choreographed; painting a verbal picture that evokes emotion. I’ve seen it suggested that a writer should add 1,500 to 3,000 words to his / her manuscript each day. That’s a lot of words! And, no fair including the stuff written on Facebook or the blog. It’s good to have goals, and, I suppose it’s good also to measure creative flow with a virtual yardstick. I’ve learned that some writers feel slothful if they’ve penned less than 5,000 words in a day. Who are these people? Still, something to consider, I suppose.

Boyhood Adventures is replete with conflict. The most redundant is between Frank, Dennis, and Lee. Frank wants to be the best of pals with Dennis and Lee, but find them constantly engaged in sorties that would frighten a Kamikaze pilot. Frank wants to be “one of the crew” but he feels as though every mission puts him in great peril.

Conversely, Dennis and Lee are annoyed by Frank’s skittish nature, but they seldom plan a nocturnal adventure if they know he will be unable to accompany them. His panicked response to anything he perceives as even remotely life-threatening is so predictable as to lend comic relief to otherwise mundane moments.

The conflict between Lee Farmer and Bobby John Deacons is palpable. B.J. once listened intently to an adventure story told by Lee; something about an excursion to an abandoned asylum. The next day at school, Lee learns that B.J. is telling Lee’s story, claiming it for his very own. Not only does Lee see this this as an ethical infraction, he considers it a most dishonorable and deceitful act; one deserving of harsh retribution. This conflict is like a rubber band being stretched to its limit. The reader can sense that there will soon be a climactic eruption between the two characters; the question is: how soon?

Writing conflict into a story like Boyhood Adventures is a great deal of fun. I’m enjoying every minute of it. I hope my readers enjoy it too.

I have to keep reminding myself, when absorbed in my world of creative writing, that my reader needs to know, at the outset of character action: WHY? For example: “Why is it so important for three 8-year-old boys to be outdoors after dark, driven by a quest for adventure?” As the omniscient story-teller, I am acutely aware of character motivation. But my readers are not omniscient. If I don’t let my reader in on the secret, the story falls in the chasm between BOREDOM and CONFUSION.

For Dennis and Lee (characters in Boyhood Adventures) the motivation is evasion of that which they perceive as adulthood doldrums. Frank’s motivation (another character in the book) varies greatly from his two best friends He just wants to be a member of the crew. As boys, their perception of life is limited by their immaturity; something any parent can understand. The boys see their parents as being trapped in the snare of hum-drum living; without fun or excitement. While boyhood motives are simple, sharing them with the reader can be a complex endeavor. Establishing motive is not a thing I can simply blurt out with a megaphone. If I do it right, it will be artful, entertaining, and – on a really good day – embellished with humor.